Drama TV Guide: Listings, Schedule & What’s On Drama Tonight

Published: 25 August 2026

Drama launched on 8 July 2013 and is owned by BBC Studios as part of the UKTV stable alongside Dave, Yesterday and W. It was rebranded U&Drama on 16 July 2024, though most viewers and on-screen guides still call it Drama. Tonight, Wednesday 26 August 2026, the evening opens with three back-to-back episodes of Last of the Summer Wine from 6pm to 8pm, before The Chelsea Detective takes over with a two-part story, Deadlock, running 8pm to 10:05pm — one investigation across both hours, not two separate cases. New Tricks follows at 10:05pm, and Luther closes the night at 11:25pm.

Drama Schedule: Wednesday 26 August 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete Drama schedule for Wednesday 26 August 2026, on Freeview 20.

Overnight

Breakfast

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Primetime

Late night

What’s on Drama today

Wednesday’s daytime opens overnight with Lovejoy at 12:20am (series 2, episode 7), followed by Sister Boniface Mysteries at 1:30am (series 2, episode 6) and the British Sign Language edit of The Chelsea Detective at 2:35am (series 1, episode 7). Birds of a Feather airs at 3:25am (series 6, episode 12) before teleshopping fills the gap from 4am to 7:15am, when The Bill takes the breakfast slot (series 17, episode 21), followed by a Classic Doctors double at 8:10am and 8:45am. Classic Holby City airs at 9:20am (series 8, episode 43), Classic Casualty follows at 10:40am (series 27, episode 32), and The Bill repeats its breakfast episode again at 11:40am.

Early afternoon belongs to the archive soaps: Classic EastEnders at 12:40pm and 1:20pm, then Classic Neighbours at 2pm and 2:35pm. These are daytime repeats from the archive rather than tonight’s current storylines — tonight the full weeknight soap slate is on as normal, with EastEnders on BBC One at 7:30pm, Emmerdale on ITV1 at 8pm and Coronation Street on ITV1 at 8:30pm all airing live. Whitstable Pearl airs at 3:05pm (series 3, episode 2), Kingdom follows at 4:10pm (series 1, episode 4), and As Time Goes By closes out the afternoon at 5:15pm (series 3, episode 7), leading straight into the evening’s Last of the Summer Wine run.

Worth flagging: there’s no film in primetime tonight either. A three-episode sitcom run and a two-part crime story carry the evening from 6pm, with New Tricks and Luther seeing the night out — the format Drama’s built its whole identity on.

Drama tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the Drama primetime line-up for tonight, Wednesday 26 August 2026.

Last of the Summer Wine — Drama, 6pm–8pm

Three instalments run back to back to open the evening: series 8’s episodes 5 and 6 at 6pm and 6:40pm, then the series 9 opener at 7:20pm. It’s the usual gentle fare from the Yorkshire Dales trio’s small-town scrapes, easing viewers in before the crime double bill takes over the schedule at 8pm.

The Chelsea Detective: Deadlock — Drama, 8pm and 9pm

The Chelsea Detective takes over from 8pm with a two-part story, Deadlock (series 3, episodes 1 and 2), running straight through to 10:05pm. A body is found on an allotment plot, and the investigation soon leads back to the American Ambassador’s residence — one case across both hours, not two unrelated episodes.

New Tricks — Drama, 10:05pm

The 10:05pm hour belongs to New Tricks (series 8, episode 3).

Luther — Drama, 11:25pm

Idris Elba is back as DCI John Luther for the second instalment of series 5, closing out the night with the brooding, high-stakes detective work the series built its reputation on, once New Tricks has wrapped its 10:05pm hour.

What kind of shows are on Drama

Classic BBC and ITV archive drama

The backbone of the schedule is British drama from the last forty-odd years. Jonathan Creek, New Tricks, Lovejoy, Birds of a Feather and Miss Marple all get regular daytime and early-evening outings, most of them first shown on BBC One or ITV. The whole point of the channel is that you can drop in at almost any hour and land on something you half-remember.

Cosy crime and international mysteries

Drama also runs a decent sideline in gentler, often overseas, crime. The Brokenwood Mysteries from New Zealand and Harry Wild from Ireland are the two regulars: puzzle-driven, light on violence, usually tied up within the hour or two.

Newer acquired and prestige drama

The Count of Monte Cristo and The Boy That Never Was are newer, high-profile productions in the schedule alongside all the archive material.

How to watch Drama

Channel numbers

Drama’s channel numbers across the main UK platforms:

Drama is free on all of the above platforms, with no subscription required. Drama+1 on Freeview is a limited-reach service, so availability can depend on your transmitter; your on-screen guide is the definitive source if these don’t match.

Streaming online

Drama streams live at u.co.uk and via the U app on smart TVs, iOS, Android and Freeview Play devices. You’ll need a free U account, and a large on-demand library sits alongside the live stream.

Drama +1 and sister channels

Drama+1 carries the same schedule an hour behind, for catching whatever’s just been missed on the main channel.

Drama sits inside the wider UKTV portfolio, which includes U&Dave for comedy and panel shows, U&Yesterday for history and factual programming, and U&W for factual entertainment, all free-to-air, plus the pay channels U&Alibi, U&Eden and U&Gold. Dave is the nearest alternative on the electronic programme guide for comedy rather than mystery.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s on Drama tonight?

Tonight, Drama opens with three back-to-back episodes of Last of the Summer Wine from 6pm, then The Chelsea Detective takes over from 8pm with a two-part story, Deadlock, running through to 10:05pm. New Tricks follows at 10:05pm, and Luther closes the night at 11:25pm. Check the schedule table above for the full day’s listings.

What channel is Drama on Freeview?

Drama is on channel 20 on Freeview, BT TV, TalkTalk TV and YouView. Drama+1 is on Freeview channel 60 as a limited-reach service. Both are free.

What channel is Drama on Sky, Virgin Media and Freesat?

Sky channel 143, Virgin Media channel 116, and Freesat channel 158. Drama+1 is on Sky 243 and Virgin Media 316.

Can I watch Drama for free on U?

Yes. It streams live at u.co.uk and through the U app, with a large on-demand archive alongside it. You’ll need a free U account, but there’s no subscription fee.

Is Drama free to watch?

Yes, completely free to air on every platform, with advertising breaks during and between programmes but no subscription cost.

Verdict

Drama does one thing and does it well: British and international mysteries filled out with newer acquisitions solid enough to hold their own against the archive material. Tonight is a solid weeknight for the channel: three Last of the Summer Wine episodes open the evening from 6pm, then The Chelsea Detective settles in for a two-part story, Deadlock, from 8pm to 10:05pm, before New Tricks and Luther see the night out. No film interrupts any of it.

The trade-off is a daytime schedule built almost entirely from reruns, over three hours of teleshopping before 7:15am, and archive soaps at lunchtime — Classic EastEnders and Classic Neighbours — that are simply older repeats, not a substitute for tonight’s actual soap slots. Those run as normal elsewhere this evening: EastEnders on BBC One at 7:30pm, then Emmerdale and Coronation Street back to back on ITV1 from 8pm. Regular viewers put up with Drama’s rerun-heavy daytime because the evening line-up is reliably well chosen.

Related: Freeview Channel Guide | Dave TV Guide | Films on TV This Week